A day after the BJP released the first list of 67 candidates for the Haryana Assembly elections, a wave of dissent came to the fore on Thursday with several prominent party leaders expressing their displeasure and resigning from their positions. Some leaders even said they would contest independently.
The internal strife began after a few key figures were excluded from the list, including sitting MLA Laxman Napa from Ratia, former minister and BJP OBC Morcha president Karan Dev Kamboj and Cabinet Minister Ranjit Chautala. Other notable leaders who raised the banner of revolt include former MLA Savitri Jindal, BJP Kisan Morcha President Sukhvinder Mandi, former minister Bishambar Valmiki, and state vice president GL Sharma. All have either resigned from the party or announced their intention to contest as independents.
Olympic medallist Yogeshwar Dutt, who joined BJP in 2019 and had recently expressed his willingness to contest from Gohana elections has stirred speculation with a cryptic social media post. The party has fielded former MP Arvind Sharma on this seat.
Without disclosing his future plans Dutt took to social media to share a poignant message in Hindi, which roughly translates to: “When your character is pure, then why is this your condition? These sinners have no right to test you. You should go in search of yourself.”
Cabinet Minister Ranjit Chautala, who had joined the BJP during the Lok Sabha elections and unsuccessfully contested from Hisar has stepped down from his ministerial position. He expressed his frustration, stating, “If I contest, it will be from Rania. BJP is offering me Dabwali, but I have declined. Now that BJP hasn’t given me a ticket, there’s a 90% chance I’ll contest as an independent.”
In Jind’s Safidon, former MLA Bachan Singh Arya resigned after the BJP fielded JJP rebel Ram Kumar Gautam. Arya will run as an independent candidate. Similarly, former Haryana minister Kavita Jain, visibly emotional, demanded a change in the party’s candidate for Sonepat within three days.
Senior BJP leader Shamsher Singh Kharkhada, who had contested the 2019 assembly elections on the BJP symbol from Meham, also quit after being denied a ticket. Kharkhara is expected to join the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), while Aditya Chautala resigned from his position as Chairman of the HSAM Board. Chautala had sought a BJP ticket from Dabwali and was disappointed by its omission from the first list.
Karan Dev Kamboj, former minister, criticized the party’s recent decisions, accusing it of adopting Congress-like practices and betraying dedicated party workers. He lamented, “Congress culture has come into the BJP as well. Those who created trouble were made to join BJP and were given tickets. This is cheating to the rest of the party workers… Congress will form the government here and BJP’s dream will remain a dream.”
Amidst the turmoil, celebrations erupted in BJP camps as those who received tickets began their election campaigns. As senior leader and Ambala Mayor Shakti Rani Sharma has thanked the BJP leadership for giving her party ticket from Kalka constituency. “The complete development of Kalka is my sole objective. To become the voice of the people, to support the underprivileged, and to work for the development of the entire assembly constituency, we are prepared. My dear residents of Kalka, I seek your cooperation, support, and blessings”, she shared a post on her account X.
Former minister Anil Vij, who secured a ticket from Ambala Cantt, and his supporters celebrated with fervour. Vij vowed to work harder and earn the trust of the people, promising, “We will work even harder, earn more people’s trust, take the party further, and put in even more effort.” Shruti Choudhary, who received her ticket from Tosham, emphasized her extensive electoral experience and the strong developmental work done by her family in the region. She expressed confidence in receiving robust support from the local populace. Among 67 candidates announced by the BJP, 25 were new faces as the party has dropped 9 sitting MLAs and several senior leaders to give opportunity to new contenders.